In the Heart of Baseball
by paulsenpotts
Summary: Donna is a single mom trying to escape from her past. Along the way her son's baseball coach falls for her, but a relationship is the last thing on her mind. Will the coach be able to win her over? Darvey AU
1. Chapter 1

She never would've imagined ten years ago that she'd find herself having to pick up everything she's known and restart... yet here she was. Everything she's become accustomed to and has grown to love was now in the past. A past she needed to escape. Liam has been her whole world for the past seven years. Between the last few years of hurt, betrayal and belittlement, she knew she had to keep fighting, not only for herself but for the best thing that's happened to her.

"Mommm are we almost there?" Liam whined tiredly.

Too preoccupied with her thoughts she responded, "Huh? What'd you say baby?"

"I SAID are we almost there? You always say I need my sleep to help me grow big and strong like Ironman one day, and I'm EXHAUSTED," he mused.

This made her laugh, "Is that so mister? I promise we're very close baby, only about 30 minutes out," she said as she peered into the backseat to look at him. She couldn't help but think about him when she looked at Liam. Sure, the freckle covered face along with his dark brown hair with just a hint of red is due to her, but as she sees his face, his eyes, she just sees his father. Just as quick as the thoughts came, they were gone. She couldn't allow herself to go back there not when their future was just minutes away.

Sure enough, thirty minutes later Donna was pulling up to a beautiful two-bedroom brownstone in the heart of Boston. She had put the car in park and scooted her way out of the driver seat to grab Liam. He was fast asleep and she needed to take him to his bed. Once she walked in, she was beyond glad that she was able to have the place decorated and furnished before they arrived. One less thing for her to worry about. Donna continued her way up the stairs to Liam's bedroom. He hasn't seen his room yet, but he'd be pleased to know that his room was covered in marvel content. Of course, primarily Ironman because he was his favorite which she couldn't argue with if she wanted to. As many times as she's had to re-watch those movies with him on movie night, she'd come to love the Iron family just as much as Liam. Donna was able to get his shoes off and tucked in before he came to. She was on her way out the door when Liam stopped her.

"Mom, when will dad come? I miss him." He mumbled still half asleep.

Her heart immediately sank hearing him say this. How do you tell a seven-year-old that he won't be seeing his dad anymore because his father was the reason for them having to pack up and restart? That while he was a great father to you, behind closed doors he was a monster. Flashes of him began to swarm her mind.

"_No one could love someone as worthless as you!"_

"_YOU'RE THE REASON THIS HAPPENED! YOU PUSHED ME TO THIS POINT!"_

"_You'll be lucky if another man even gives you the time of day, you aren't worth the shit you put me through."_

"_You're lucky I didn't leave you the first chance I had. God knows if I could go back I damn sure wouldn't choose to be with you again."_

She tried her hardest to keep the tears at bay. She knew this wasn't her fault, but sometimes it feels as if it was. What if everything he said was true? Was she the reason why they suffered for all those years? She quickly shook these thoughts away before she dove off the deep in.

"Oh, I don't know baby." She replied sympathetically. "Remember mommy and daddy needed some space, that's why we moved here to Boston?" she explained as she sat on the edge of his bed.

"Oh, but daddy and me don't need space, do we?" he asked quietly. "I miss him."

This is why it was so hard for her to leave. She knew this would hurt him but she had to do what was best for them both, even if that meant a little heartbreak along the way. "I know, but I promise everything will be ok," she said as she leaned down to kiss his forehead. "I was going to wait until tomorrow to tell you, but I have a surprise for you," she added excitedly.

That surely changed his train of thought. Suddenly the rapid fire started, "Really! What is it? Are we getting a dog? Did you finally find a way to make me a suit?"

"A dog? Where on earth did that come from?" She giggled, "I thought this was a feline family only?"

"Dogs are just WAY more fun. Cats won't play catch with me like dogs will," he explained.

"Well speaking of baseball-"

Liam couldn't help but interrupt, "ARE WE GOING TO A RED SOXS GAME?"

"Something even better than a Red Sox game," she responded coyly.

"Mommy, the only thing better than a Red Sox game is meeting Ironman himself, so these are some big shoes to fill here."

She couldn't help but laugh at her son. "Well I guess I can tell your new baseball coach that you'd rather go to a game than play," she states as she begins to get up.

"Wait what? I don't have a team anymore though?" Liam questions as he grabs her arm to keep her from leaving before telling him the surprise.

She stared at her son in bewilderment, he was definitely his father's kid. Unable to pick up on what was right in front of him. She began to giggle, "Well surely that was before I signed you up to play with the Pirates this upcoming Monday."

Liam's eyes suddenly went wide as he erupted with excitement upon hearing this, "MOMMY ARE YOU SERIOUS? WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY THAT BEFORE?"

"I was trying to, but I was interrupted by some pesky little thing," she replied as she poked him in the stomach.

Liam broke out into a smile, "Thanks mom, you are the bestest ever!"

"Anything for you my love," she said with a kiss. "Now it's time to try and get some sleep bud. We have to go meet your coach tomorrow afternoon."

"Goodnight mommy, I love you," Liam said already on his way back to sleep.

She would never get tired from hearing those three little words from him. "Goodnight baby, I love you more," she kissed him one last time on the head before leaving the room and closing the door. Once she made it to her bedroom, she made her way to the bathroom to shower away whatever guilt she still felt. While in the shower she couldn't help but pray that tomorrow would be the start of something beautiful for the both of them.

The next morning, around nine o'clock, Donna woke up from the feeling of a kick in her ribs. She turned over to find Liam sprawled out in her the middle of her king-sized bed. She chuckled before giving him a kiss and going to the bathroom to start her morning routine. As she was leaving the bathroom, she was startled from hearing Liam not expecting him to be awake quite yet.

"Morning mama," he said rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Morning baby, did you have a nightmare last night?" You could hear the concern in her voice.

"No," he spoke easily, "You woke me up in the middle of the night from yelling dad's name. I thought something was wrong, so I came here to make sure you were okay."

"Oh," she replied quietly as she made her way to him. "I'm just fine honey. And if I wasn't, I will always have my very own little Ironman to protect me."

Liam smiled and hopped off the bed, "Well I am very strong, see?" He lifted up his arms and began to flex his little muscles.

Donna busted out laughing at her son's antics. "OK my Ironman, how about you go brush your teeth so we can go out and get your gear? We have a deal here Mr. Stark?"

"Hmmm on one condition boss," he said as if he's really considering this deal. "We go out for burgers for lunch."

"I think that can be arranged if someone hurried off and got ready for the day ahead," she explained as she prepared her items to go shower.

"OK you got it mama. I'll even pick my own outfit for today!" Liam hurried off and ran out of the room.

Donna shook her head to herself with a smile on her face. That boy would be the death of her but she wouldn't have it any other way. She headed back into the bathroom to start her shower. After about fifteen minutes she was making her way to her walk-in closet to try and find something to wear. She decided to go with a white tank, white skinny jeans and topped it off with a blue jacket. She paired her look with a Hermes bag and sandals.

Once she was dressed, she went downstairs to find Liam watching Wild Krats in the living room. She continued on to the kitchen to fix her and Liam a quick breakfast before heading out. When they finished up breakfast, they headed out to the mall first to grab Liam some new cleats for Monday. After the mall they ran over to Dick's so that Liam could go pick out his new bat. He decided to go with the red and white bat, of course, to show his love for the Red Sox. On the way back to the car, Donna asked him what he was craving for dinner so they could stop by the grocery store before going to meet his coach.

"Definitely some pasta. Or some dinosaur chicken nuggets. You made that all the time before we moved and it is still one of my favorites," he responded.

"Is that so? Well we have to stop by the store to pick up some more noodles and sauce, possibly some snacks if I'm feeling generous," she announced with a smirk as they reached the car.

"Snacks? Oh, this is gonna be fun," he whispered while getting in the car.

Donna chuckled to herself sitting down in the driver seat before pulling off. It took them around twenty minutes to reach the grocery store. She had to check her watch to ensure they had time to grab some food, drop it off back at home, and still make it to his baseball meeting on time. They had about an hour and a half to spare before the meeting. Donna got out the car to open the door for Liam. He jumped out and he held her hand while they walked inside.

"Baby we have to be a little quick here, okay? We have to make sure we take the food back home before we head to baseball," Donna explained to Liam.

"OK, I got it mom. Can I please grab some snacks while we are here?" The little boy looked at her with his sad, puppy dog eyes. That boy sure knew how to work the crowd.

She smiled down at him, "I don't see why not bud, just not too much."

"YES! Thanks mama," he shouted as he ran off into the aisle. She watched his eyes search for the snacks.

She laughed, "Not this aisle, kiddo."

As they continued to walk through the store with a basket in her hand, Donna began to mentally make a list of all the items she would need for dinner tonight. She first went to grab the noodles, before making her way over to grab some cheese. They decided that they'd have spaghetti for dinner.

Liam saw Doritos peering out from the next aisle and immediately knew he had to get some, "Hey mom can I go grab some chips and Goldfish please?"

"Sure thing honey," she replied making her way to the cheese.

The boy swiftly switched aisles without his mother even noticing as she was too lost in whether or not she wanted Parmesan or Mozzarella. The boy's eyes lit up at the sight of all of the snacks.

"This must be what heaven is like," the little boy mused to himself. He began his journey down the aisle first picking up the Doritos that drew him here in the first place. He started to look for the Goldfish, when some Lemon Oreos caught his attention. He wanted them a lot more than the Goldfish at the moment. The only problem was the cookies were on the top shelf and there was no way he'd be able to get them himself, at least not without a struggle. Liam set the Doritos aside for the time being, he figured since he was the only one in the aisle, no one would mind him climbing on the shelves to get his cookies. Liam was up on one of the shelves when a man's voice came from behind.

The man's voice echoed in, "Need some help there, squirt?"

"My mommy told me I'm not allowed to talk to strangers," Liam said getting down from the shelf.

The man giggled as he watched the boy set himself down. "Well my name is Harvey. Guess we aren't strangers anymore if you know my name."

"I guess you are right."

The man bent down to the young boys level, "And what's your name little man?"

Liam inspected the man closely, mentally deciding on if his mom would be ok with him telling this strange man his name. He finally relented, "Well you don't look like a bad guy, so I guess it's OK that I tell you my name," the boy stated with a shrug. "My name is Liam."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Liam," Harvey said as he outstretched his hand for the boy.

Liam took the outstretched hand with a smile said, "It's nice to meet you too mister."

Harvey smiled and stood up, "Now if I'm not mistaken you seemed to need some help here?"

"Yeah, I was trying to reach the Lemon Oreos," the boy said sheepishly. "I could've gotten them myself of course, but you know since you offered you can grab them," he added with a smile.

"Ahh, yes only because I so kindly offered to help," Harvey said with a laugh. Harvey went to grab the Oreos and handed them to Liam.

"Thanks Harvey," the boy exclaimed gratefully. Just then a woman spoke from behind Liam. Harvey could only assume that the woman was the boy's mother. And God was she beautiful, from the freckles that were scattered on her, to the fiery red hair that so perfectly framed her face.

"There you are! I was beginning to worry I didn't even notice you were gone," she stated hurriedly. She looked past Liam and saw Harvey standing there, "I see you made a friend."

Harvey was stuck staring at her. She truly was one of the most beautiful women he's encountered in his short thirty years, if not the most stunning woman. He didn't notice her refer to him as a friend to Liam until he heard her clear her throat waiting for him to introduce himself. "Oh, uh I'm sorry," he chuckled to himself to ease the tension from him being caught staring. "I'm Harvey. I just was walking past when I saw that Liam here needed some help getting something," he added with a half-smile.

Liam jumped in and said, "Yeah, I changed my mind and wanted some Oreos instead of the Goldfish. I couldn't reach the cookies but then he came and offered help. He introduced himself so that we weren't strangers anymore."

She continued to follow the boy, "Ah is that so?" She then turned to Harvey, "Thank you so much for helping him out. I'm Liam's mom, Donna."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hi guys I just wanted to thank you guys for all the lovely comments and reviews. I'm not the greatest at writing so it truly meant the world that you guys enjoyed! Anyway I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, it took some time but it's here now! As always I would love to hear what you guys thought and please excuse any mistakes I'm not sure if I caught everything.**

Harvey has just made it to his car and his mind is still stuck on Donna. He feels like such an idiot for not asking for her number. He knows just from the way she handled herself that she is one hell of a woman. Yet here he is thinking about this woman who he's probably never going to see again because he didn't ask for her number.

"Goddamnit," he says to himself.

Harvey jumps out of his car and races back into the store hoping he'll catch them before leaving. When he reaches the checkout he doesn't see her or Liam anywhere. He asks the store clerk if a woman with red hair and a little boy had checked out already.

"Yes they left out shortly after you did, I'm sorry," the clerk says sympathetically.

"No need to apologize, thanks for the help," he replies with a half-smile. And just like that, he's the world's dumbest man alive.

Harvey walks back to the car defeated. "If it's meant to be, I'll see her again. Somehow, some way." He tells himself that just to have a smudge bit of hope that he'll see again but knows there's a damn good chance he won't ever again.

After driving off, Harvey heads to his older sister's house to grab his nephew before baseball. It isn't long before Harvey is pulling up to a house just outside the city. Samantha hears Harvey pull-up in the driveway. By the time he makes it to the door, she is leaning on the doorframe with that Specter smirk.

"Look who's half an hour late for lunch," Samantha says with fake enthusiasm.

Harvey rolls his eyes at his sister's dramatics, "Hello to you too Sam."

"I was going to send a search party, you're rarely late to our Sunday lunches," she states as she allows him to enter the house.

"Yeah, I uh had stopped by the store and didn't realize the time."

"Hm that's strange, you spent 30 minutes at the store but didn't buy anything," with that Sam's smirk appears again.

Harvey was so preoccupied with helping Liam and thinking about Donna that he hadn't realized he didn't even buy anything. "Oh yeah I-," he starts, but is interrupted by a little boy racing down the hall.

"Uncle Harvey!" the boy exclaims as he runs into Harvey's arms.

Samantha and her wife, Katrina, had adopted Mason when he was only a newborn. His birth mother was only 17 years old and decided she wouldn't be able to give the baby the life it needed so she looked into adoption. With Samantha being a chef and owning her restaurant and Katrina being the CEO of a million-dollar company, the girl was sold on the couple getting him from the moment they met. Mason coming into their lives was the best thing to happen.

Harvey lights up when he sees Mason, "Hey Bud! You ready for baseball? I heard you've been working on your catching."

"YES! I'm SO much better now. There's some kids down the street that mom lets me play with sometimes. They play baseball too. You should see how good they catch! They almost never miss!" Mason rattles out.

"Well, I'll have to come check you guys out sometime. How does that sound?" Harvey asks the young boy.

Mason's face lights up at the idea, "I'd love that uncle Harvey!"

Sam cuts in to remind them of lunch, "Alright you two that's enough of that, we still have to eat lunch. And don't think I've forgotten about this store situation either," she directs to Harvey as the three head to the dining room.

After finishing up lunch Sam sends Mason to his room to gather his items before leaving out with Harvey. When she is certain the boy is out of earshot the interrogation begins.

"So were you really at the store or were you out chasing your next conquest?" Sam asks.

Harvey rolls his eyes at his sister's question. He genuinely was hoping she had forgotten about his reasoning for being late today. Of course, since it is Sam he is talking about, he has no such luck.

"Wouldn't you like to know," he mumbles quiet enough for her not to hear. "I was actually at the store Samantha. I went in to grab some stuff, I just forgot it."

Sam knows there's more to the story than he's letting on, "How do you manage to forget the stuff when it was your only reason for going to the store. Surely you don't expect me to believe that load of crap."

"It's not for the reason you are thinking. I was going to grab what I needed when I saw a little boy who needed help, so I stepped in and after I just forgot," he says with a shrug as he finishes off his glass of lemonade.

With hearing that, Sam leans back in her chair and stares at him waiting for the rest of the story.

"OK fine," he says surrendering. "After helping the kid, his mother came looking for him and let's just say that she's something special."

"Wow. I think this may be my first time hearing you refer to a woman to something besides hot," she says with a slight chuckle.

"Hot? Samantha, what am I? 17? Saying she's hot makes me sound like a horny teenage boy again," he defends. "When in reality she already has my mind doing somersaults and we've only had a brief conversation."

"OK, easy there Romeo. Did you happen to get this special woman's name or number?"

The regret he was feeling earlier is right back. If he never sees her again, that's something that'll bother him for some time to come. "Well, the name I got, her name is Donna. Number not so much."

Samantha is stunned Harvey couldn't manage to get her number. Her little brother never had a problem when it came to women. As much as she hates to admit it, her brother is a great guy. So if he couldn't snag this woman's number she must not be that special after all. "She wouldn't give you her number?"

"Hmmm… That's the million-dollar question, that I won't ever get the answer to," he thinks to himself. Harvey begins to scratch his neck, "I would like to think she would have if I would've asked."

"_Thank you so much for helping him out. I'm Liam's mom, Donna."_

"_Oh it's no problem, I'm Harvey," Harvey said offering his hand._

"_It's a pleasure to meet you, Harvey," she replied with a smile._

_If it was possible to fall in love over a smile Harvey was sure this would've been the one to seal the deal. His eyes began to rake over her, "Believe me, the pleasure is all mine."_

_Liam, clueless to the flirting, interrupted, "Trust me, mama, I'm the most happy to meet Harvey. I couldn't have gotten my cookies without him."_

_Donna laughed at her son. Harvey took this time to see how beautiful she really was. She caught him staring again and started to blush._

"_I'm most happy to have met you too squirt, otherwise I wouldn't have come across your mom here," Harvey replied while looking at Donna._

_Donna felt her face start to warm, "So um we better be heading out, we have to get this little guy to baseball soon. Just have to grab a quick bite to eat first."_

_Harvey noticed how she brushed the compliment off but decided to leave it alone. There was something about her that intrigued him, something that made him want to talk to her for hours on end. He wasn't sure if it was just lust or something greater but he had every intention of figuring that out._

"_Mama, maybe Harvey could come to lunch with us! I could tell him all about baseball," Liam suggested._

_Donna's eyes went wide not expecting that response, "Oh I don't know about that baby, I'm sure he has plans already."_

"_I happen to be free for lunch and completely obsessed with baseball, that's if you don't mind of course?" _

_Before Donna had a chance to respond, her phone went off from her receiving a message from the hospital. She saw this as an excuse to decline the lunch offer, "I'm so sorry this is work. Maybe a raincheck?"_

"_Sure, it's not a problem. Maybe I could get-"_

_Her phone went off again before he had the chance to finish, "I really should get going. It was a pleasure meeting you."_

_And just like that Harvey was watching their retreating forms, having no clue how he planned to reschedule their lunch without catching her number._

Harvey is snapped out of his thoughts by Mason barreling into the dining room with his bag, "I'm all ready!"

Samantha gives Harvey a look when he raises out of his chair. She doesn't want him to get mentally stuck on someone he is never going to see again. All that would lead to is another disappointing situation like the one with Dana did. She doesn't want to see her brother go through that again.

Harvey simply looks at and offers an "I know", before grabbing Mason's bag and heading to the car.

Once Harvey puts Mason's bag in the trunk and ensures that Mason is buckled safely he heads to the driver seat. He sits there in his thoughts before starting the car up. The young boy in the back pays no mind too occupied with his iPad.

"Maybe Sam is right? I still have to keep a little faith even if there's a billion in one chance that he'll ever see her again. She did mention something about the kid playing baseball, right? That has to tip the odds the little in his favor right?"

Harvey shakes the thoughts of her from his mind, for the time being. He starts up the car before driving off towards baseball.

After leaving the store, Donna decided that she and Liam would go straight to lunch since she didn't buy anything that had to be returned home immediately. They decided on eating at this diner not too far from the house.

The diner gives Donna every bit of an 80's vibe; the only thing going against this is the little game section they have in the corner which is occupying Liam for the time being.

They both finished up their lunch a little bit ago. During lunch Donna had got called into work at the hospital. She's a clinical nurse in the Neuro department. Due to the move, she's considered "new", even though she's been in this field of work for the last 7 years. This is truly the only downside to the move. She knew she'd be on call immediately once the transfer went through. She was hoping to spend some time with Liam before that happened, but here she is missing his first baseball-related event.

Donna sits in the booth alone waiting for Rachel whom she called on short notice to watch Liam for her tonight while she is at the hospital. Liam comes over asking his mother for more change so he can play the games in the diner.

"Mama, I think Harvey would've liked the burgers here. They were amazing! I bet he would have taught me how to be good at running super fast. Next time we come, can we bring him too?"

She hadn't realized that the hospital distracted her from actually getting a way to contact the man from the store again. She hasn't decided if that's a good or bad thing. By a technicality she is very much still married, adding another man to this would just complicate things more. There's nothing more in the world she wants more than a divorce, but she knows if she fills he'll know where they ran off to. For the sake of her future, she isn't willing to take that risk and have Thomas come after them.

"We'll have to see about that baby," she replies sympathetically. "I don't know if we'll be seeing him again anytime soon."

"It's ok mama, I'll just have to talk to daddy about it next time I see him."

Donna only responds with a wry smile before the little boy scampers back to the games. She knows Liam won't forget Thomas quickly, but she's hoping that time comes sometime soon. She's not sure of how many more excuses she can come up with for why he isn't calling or why he's not living with them now. Liam breaks her just a little bit more every time he mentions missing him or saving things to do with him when he "comes" to visit.

Just then she hears the bells go off on the door and she sees the short brunette walking through the door. She stands to greet Rachel as she makes her way to the booth.

Rachel has been living in Boston for the last 4 years. Her move was due to her now ex-husband's job transfer. After the divorce, she decided it'd be easier to just stay here. Every few months she would fly out to Chicago for a week to spend time with Donna and Liam. Her visits became more frequent in the last year when she noticed what was going on in Donna's marriage and wanted to make sure her friend was ok.

"Hey Rach, thank you so much for watching him on such short notice," Donna offers her best friend a hug before resuming her seat in the booth.

"Hey! You know it's no problem, I would never pass on a chance on spending time with Liam. He is my godchild after all who I can now steal away any chance I get," Rachel replies with a slight laugh.

"I know, I know. I still feel horrible asking so late. I just need to get through these first few weeks and hopefully, they'll give me a definite schedule. I just don't want Liam to feel like work comes before him," she sighs. "It's just us now and I want to make sure he has everything he wants and needs, but being home with him just made me realize how much I miss being able to just spend time with my kid."

Rachel squeezes her hand, "Aw Donna, trust me he knows how much you love him, okay? He's a pretty smart kid, he knows you have to work sometimes and that you have no control over it. And when he doesn't, I'll be there to remind him of how much you love him and that you're working so much to make sure you guys are ok."

Donna will forever be thankful for having Rachel as a friend. She'd be completely lost without her. She never fails to tell her exactly what she needs to hear to make her feel better even if she's feeling like complete crap.

"Or maybe throw in that there would be no more baseball games without you working," Rachel adds with a smile.

Donna giggles at that, "Yeah that'll for sure get through to him. Thanks, Rach, I really needed to hear that."

"Hey that's what I'm here for, you can always count me whether it's for babysitting or getting some sense knocked into you."

"Auntie Rachel!" Liam exclaims before running over to hug her.

"Hey, you! I heard about your big surprise, are you excited?"

"Super, super excited! I'm excited to make new friends too."

"I bet everyone is excited to be friends with you too baby," Donna adds before turning to Rachel. "We both should probably head out before we're late."

Rachel checks her phone for the time, "Ah yeah, you're probably right. You all ready to go Liam?"

"Yes, ma'am!" He replies before taking off towards the door. The adults catch up to him before he leaves out.

Donna takes Liam's hand to go grab his bag from her car and take it over to Rachel's. She helps him into the car before setting the bag in the trunk. She makes her way back over to his side of the car to say goodbye.

"I'm going to call Auntie Rachel a little later to see how everything went, okay? You be good and have fun at baseball."

"OK, I will. Bye mama, I love you."

Donna will forever have his little smile from whenever he says that to her engraved in her mind. If Rachel wasn't able to cheer her up before, this surely does.

"Bye baby, I love you more," she says with a smile before kissing him and closing the car door.

Donna goes to give Rachel one last hug, "I can't thank you enough Rachel. I owe you one."

"A girl's night will do just fine. Now go help save some lives! Promise I'll return him alive," she replies before shooing Donna away.

"Fine I'm going now; I'll see you guys later tonight," she blows Liam one last kiss before heading to her car and driving off.

When Harvey makes it to the baseball field, he is greeted by his assistant coach, Anthony. He is a 24-year-old college student and has been helping Harvey with his little league for the past 3 summers. The two have grown as friends over the years and occasionally go out for drinks.

"Hey, I'm almost done setting everything up. Just got the roster printed, figured you'd want to take a look at it," he says as he hands over the roster to Harvey.

"Thanks. You think you can keep him occupied for a little while I take care of some last-minute things?" Harvey asks referring to Mason.

"Yeah, sure thing! I got him. He can help me finish getting everything settled."

Harvey crouches down to Mason's level, "You're going to go help Anthony out a little, while I go finish up some stuff, okay?"

The boy simply shrugs his shoulders, "Ok!"

"OK, I'll come grab you once I'm done with my paperwork, and we can throw the ball around a little before people start to show up. Sound good?"

"Sounds good to me!" Mason replies before heading off towards Anthony.

Once Harvey sees that Mason is with Anthony, he heads back to the car to grab some water and snacks for the boys later on. As he is walking he decide to look over the roster.

_Jacob Davis, Ryan Johnson, Alex Jones, Mason Specter, Carter Davis, Eric Smith, Liam Paulsen…_

That name makes him stop dead in his tracks, "Holy shit."

This has to be the biggest coincidence of the century. If this isn't fate telling him he'll see her again, he's going to have one hell of a conversation with the man upstairs.

"She did talk about Liam having to do something with baseball, maybe she was talking about this?" He tells himself.

Then reality hits, he has no idea what their last names are. This kid can be someone completely different than the freckled boy he is thinking of. Just as quickly as his hopes were up, they're back down. With that Harvey sticks the piece of paper in his back pocket, before he opens the trunk and starts carrying the snack and water over.

After an hour or so, Harvey and Mason are throwing the ball around when a few kids start to show up. Harvey decides it would be best to go introduce himself to the few parents that are there to keep himself from expecting Donna to show up.

As the next 15 minutes roll around, most if not all of the kids are present but he still sees no sight of her or Liam. He looks at his watch and sees it's 2:30: if they aren't there by now, then that probably isn't the little boy he had in mind. He is a little disappointed of course, but he remembered he still has a whole season to get through surrounded by amazing kids. Harvey is making his way over to Anthony to ensure he is all set to get things started when a voice from behind stops him.

"Harvey!"

Harvey turns and sees Liam running towards him with a bag on his shoulder and a brunette not too far behind. "Hey squirt, what are you doing here?" He asks jokingly as he notes Donna is nowhere in sight.

"I'm here for baseball, silly," Liam says laughing. "What are you doing here? Do you have a son too?"

"Nope, but I do have a really awesome nephew who is just over there," he says pointing to the group of boys huddled around. "And I just so happen to be your new coach."

"No way! Really?"

"Yes way. And I happen to be the best coach in the city."

"That's awesome! Now, mom can ask you to come with us for lunch!" He says excitedly. "They have a cool diner and it has games and everything. It'll be so fun!"

Just then Rachel is able to catch up with Liam after shooting Donna a text telling her they made it to baseball just in time.

"Liam, remember I said to stay close until we found your coach. I don't want to lose you and have your mom worry sick."

"I know but I saw Harvey and wanted to come say hi. Mom knows him too so it's ok."

Rachel looks at the man Liam is referring to and gives him a once over. "How the hell does Donna know him? They just moved here yesterday, only she can manage to find a man her first day in town," she thinks to herself.

"Hi, I'm Rachel."

"Harvey Specter," he says with an outstretched hand. "So um how do you and Donna know each other?"

"Oh, I'm her best friend," she says with a smile. "She got called into work so I'm babysitting this little guy for tonight."

"So how do you know Donna exactly? They only moved here yesterday."

"We met at the grocery store. I was walking by to grab what I needed when I saw Liam needed some help getting something down."

"Yeah! And now we can all go out to lunch together!" Liam says excitedly.

Harvey just smiles at the boy, "How about we head over and get you introduced to everyone before we get started?"

The little boy turns and looks at Rachel for her approval, the woman just gives him a nod.

"Sure!"

Before walking off to finally get things going, Harvey turns to Rachel, "It was a pleasure meeting you, be sure to let Donna know I'll be looking forward to seeing her at the next one."

"I'll be sure to pass over the message," she replies with a smile.

Harvey gives her a nod before walking off with Liam towards the group of boys. Rachel makes a mental note to be eyeful of him. Her best friend is not in any shape to dive into a meaningless relationship if any relationship at that. She ensures herself she won't allow Donna to go through what she did with another man if she had any say in it.

The start of the meeting goes off without a hitch. Harvey and Anthony spend the first half of the meeting to go through their expectations for this season, how things usually work and the events they have planned throughout the season. Next, the two men split the 30 or so kids into two groups so that the kids can get to know who they'd be playing with better. Harvey wants everyone to feel comfortable at practice and games so he wants to ensure that everyone has someone they knew at the end of the day. He remembers how alone Mason felt on his old team, which is what pushed him into wanting to make time for the kids to get to know each other and hopefully make some friends.

After the meeting, Harvey and Anthony give all the kids some fruit and water before they announce that they'll have a quick little scrimmage before they head home to see where everyone is at skills-wise. The kids range between the ages 7-11 so he and Anthony decide that it'd be more of a fair scrimmage they mixed all of the groups to be as balanced as possible. For this scrimmage Harvey decides that Anthony would be the only one to pitch for today until he feels more comfortable with someone else doing so.

The kids are split up between being out in the field, batting and switching for catcher. At the moment, Mason is out in the backfield along with a few other kids, while Liam is in the dugout waiting for his turn at-bat.

About 6 kids were have batted already when it comes to Liam's turn. Only three of the six were able to hit and run to each of the bases. The young boy is a little nervous due to him being one of the new kids. He wants to make a good impression and fears he'll embarrassed himself by striking out.

Liam walks up to home base with his new bat in tow and glancing at Harvey in the dugout hoping he'll sense his nervousness and let him skip out on batting. Instead, Harvey just throws the boy a reassuring smile, mentally telling him all will be fine. Liam positions himself on the base, holding his bat tightly as he raises his arms in position. He gives Anthony a nod signaling he is ready.

Harvey can sense the little guy's nerves from here but he wants to show him that, even if he doesn't hit the ball, himself along with his teammates will still cheer him on. He watches as the boy shifts his weight back and forth between his front and back foot. He throws the first pitch and it is a swing and a miss.

"Hey, just shake it off bud. You got the next one," Harvey yells out to the boy.

Liam nods his head while looking down at the dirt, changing his footing and hoping for a different outcome on the next pitch. Again he steps up to the base and repositions himself preparing for the next throw.

"You ready for the next one?" Anthony asks.

"Ready!"

Anthony throws the next pitch and it's the same outcome, swing and a miss. Harvey can tell from his spot in the dugout that the young boy isn't that far out from knocking the ball downfield. Harvey comes out of the dugout and walks towards Liam. He throws a hand up towards Anthony signaling to give him a minute before the next pitch.

Once Harvey reaches Liam, he crouches down to his eye level, "Hey what's going on bud?"

"I can't hit the stupid ball!" He cries getting frustrated.

"You'll never be able to hit the ball if you're talking like that. You have to get out of your mind and not focus on just hitting the ball, but also on having fun, okay?"

"Right," the little boy responds defeated.

"How about this, who's your favorite superhero in the whole wide world?"

"Oh, that's easy! Ironman!"

"Okay. On this last pitch I want you to imagine that you're Ironman and that baseball is a bad guy coming your way and you have to blast them away before they reach you. Deal?"

This gets a smile on the boy's face again, "Deal."

Harvey gives him a high five before standing and giving Anthony the go-ahead as he made his way back towards the dugout. When he's settled back leaning against the fence, he glances out to the field and sees the kids fooling around.

"Hey! You guys look alive out there, I have a good feeling about this one!" Harvey shouts before turning his attention back to the bases.

One last time Liam settles himself back at base and positions himself with a deep inhale. The boy starts to chant "I am Ironman" in his head to help hype himself up.

He hears Rachel throw in, "You got this Liam".

Liam looks at Anthony anticipating when his next throw is coming. Anthony straightens himself out, getting into throwing position.

Next thing Liam knows, the ball is being thrown his way and all he sees is the Mandarin coming his way so he swings just in time to send the ball flying in the air. He drops his bat quickly and makes his way to the first base as fast as he can.

While Liam's attention is on his run, Harvey's is elsewhere. He sees it coming before the two boys do. Out in middle field Mason and another kid, Eric, are both headed for the ball not knowing both are headed there.

"Mason watch it!" Harvey yells out.

This stops both boys in their tracks a few feet from colliding with each other, "What?!"

Harvey's yelling may stop the boys from colliding but it also makes them forget about the ball that is headed their way.

"Mason!" is all he can get out before the little boy is hit in the head with the incoming ball and knocked to the ground.

Harvey rushes from the dugout and goes to his nephew's side to make sure he is ok. When he reaches the boy's side, he is lying on the grass with his baseball cap knocked off to the side. He looks at the boy over and notes that he has a slight cut on his right eyebrow and is most likely sporting a concussion. It takes Mason a few seconds to come back to his senses.

"Hey you, you ok there, bud?"

"My head hurts really bad," Mason says with a slight whimper.

"I know. How about we get you to the hospital and get you checked out, ok?"

Harvey calls Anthony over and tells him that he has to finish the last few minutes of practice because he has to get Mason checked out.

Anthony agrees and decides it's probably best to end a little early today. He has the rest of the boys huddle up to talk to them a bit more and tell them how well they did today. Meanwhile, Harvey lifts Mason and carries him so his face is tucked into his neck to avoid making his head hurt worse. Harvey puts Mason in the car and buckles him in.

"Hey buddy, I know your head hurts and you're a little tired but you have to stay up for me, ok?"

"Ok, I'll try."

Harvey ruffles the boy's hair before closing the door. Before he can get in the car he is stopped by Liam.

"Hey coach, thank you for helping me today when it was my turn."

"Hey squirt. It's Harvey, remember? And I believe that's the second time today that I've helped you."

The young boy laughs, "Yeah, you're like Captain America."

"It was no problem. If you ever need help with baseball, reaching the cookies or defeating the next bad guy, I'm your guy."

"I hope Mason feels better," he says before going to hug Harvey.

Harvey is taken aback by the hug but is happy to accept. "He's a tough guy, he'll be ok. But I'll be sure to tell him for you. I'll see you later, squirt."

"Ok Bye Harvey," he says before going to Rachel, who watched the whole encounter.

Together they head back to Rachel's apartment.

Harvey gets in his car and drives to the closest hospital, occasionally looking in the back to make sure Mason does fall asleep. He turns the music up to try and keep the boy alert while they make the twenty-minute drive to the hospital. About five minutes out Mason starts to drift out and Harvey strikes up a conversation about his favorite animals to keep him awake. Harvey calls Samantha and shoots Katrina a text to meet him at the hospital.

When they reach the hospital, he parks his car in the ER section got out and carries Mason inside.

After waiting for about half an hour, they're sent into a room. Mason immediately complains that the lights are bothering him so Harvey has a nurse dim the lights to appease the young boy. Not short after the boy's mothers came rushing through the door.

"Harvey what the hell happened? We send our kid with you and he ends up in the hospital!" Samantha shoots his way. While she and Katrina made their way to Mason.

"He got hit with the ball while out in the field. I was trying to avoid him and another kid colliding and I completely forgot about the ball."

Katrina jumps in before her wife could, "It's ok Harvey, I know it wasn't your fault." she says as she shoots her wife a pointed look. "I'm sure he'll be fine. Maybe a concussion maybe?"

"Yeah that's what I was thinking," he replies feeling guilty.

"It's ok Mommy, Uncle Harvey didn't mean to," Mason tells Samantha.

"I know baby, your Mama and I just get worried when you're hurt," she replies stroking his hair.

Harvey knew Samantha didn't mean anything by what she said, but he couldn't help but feel a little guilty by the little guy being in the hospital.

The lady from the desk sends someone in with a juice and popsicle to give Mason a little sugar boost to keep him up while he's waiting to receive care. Katrina and Samantha lies in bed with Mason tucked between them with his popsicle. Harvey pulls up a chair to read one of the kid books that were already in the room to pass time until someone is sent for Mason.

Donna is already feeling restless and she's only been working for about an hour and a half. The little time she had off during the move has thrown her off her usual schedule and it's taking its toll early on.

She is making her way towards the front desk when she gets a call. She checks the ID and sees that it's Rachel so she immediately picks up thinking something's wrong with Liam.

"Hey, is everything alright? Did Liam get hurt?" She asks already thinking the worst.

"Everything's fine! I just decided to give you a call once we made it back to my place."

Donna looks down at her watch and sees that it has been 2 hours and that baseball is over for today. "Sorry Rach, I lost track of time. I hadn't even realized you guys were done. Otherwise, I would've called."

"Hey, it's fine. You know, the weirdest thing happened when we got there..."

"What happened?" Donna questions as she makes her way to the front desk to look over some files.

"Well, as soon as we got there, Liam ran up to this guy and—"

"Is that my mom? Can I talk to her pretty please?" Liam cuts in before Rachel can finish her thought.

"We'll talk about it later on tonight," Rachel tells Donna. Then, "Sure honey," she tells Liam and hands him the phone before going to make them a snack.

"Hey mom! You won't believe what happened today!"

"Hi baby, what happened?"

"We all were taking turns batting and when it was my turn, I hit the ball so far!"

"Really? That's fantastic bud, I'm sorry I missed it!"

"It's okay, I think I have a trick now for when it's my turn, mama. But a kid named Mason got hurt trying to catch it so it wasn't that great."

"Aw honey, I'm sure he'll be better in no time. Is this Mason a friend now?"

The receptionist at the desk, Kelly, cuts in and tells Donna that a little boy is waiting to get looked at for a possible concussion. Donna mouths ok and gives her a thumbs-up before resuming her conversation.

"Oh yeah, he's really nice and good at catching too. You'll never believe who his uncle is, mama."

"Really? Who's his uncle?"

"It's Harvey! The man from the store who helped me with the cookies, remember?"

Donna doesn't hear her son because Kelly again interrupts her and tells her she needs to head to the room asap.

"I'm sorry baby, I have to go. I promise I'll call when I get a chance, ok?"

"Ok, mama. Bye!"

"Bye baby," Donna quickly deposits her phone into her lab coat and grabs the file before making her way to the room.

Donna knocks on the door before opening it, and looks at the file for a name, "I'm looking for a Mason Wheeler-Bennett?"

She looks up to find two unfamiliar faces and a face she didn't think she'd see again anytime soon.

"Donna!"

"Harvey?"


End file.
